Blinded
by cold.obsession
Summary: Sequel to Frozen Night. 5 years later and not talking to her friends since high school, Bella finds herself living in NYC with her dream job. And who does she find living there also? The Cullens and Hales, of course. Full summary inside. BxE
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**

**Summary - Sequel to Frozen Night. 5 years later and not really having talked to her friends since high school, Bella finds herself living in NYC and has her dream job. One days she goes into a coffee shop and who does she find? Alice and Rosalie, of course. The whole gang is now living in NYC and they are as close as ever. It's clear that Edward and Bella still have feelings for each other, but the only problem is Tanya, Edward's girlfriend. Can Bella and Edward do the right thing and put their feelings aside and stay just friends? BxE**

* * *

I sat in my dorm at USC my freshman year, listening to music and trying to focus on a boring assignment when I heard a knock on my door. I scrambled up, setting the books that occupied my lap on my bed, and flung open then door "Edward!" I squealed, throwing my arms around his neck.

Edward was off at Dartmouth. All the way across the country. Both of us had decided back in senior year of high school that we couldn't hold the other back and we should attend the schools of our dreams. It just so happened that the schools of our dreams where over 3,000 miles apart. We'd rarely seen each other in the last months, and it's been really hard on both of us.

That's why when I saw him at the door I'd kind of flipped. "Oh my god, what are you doing here?"

I heard him chuckle in my ear. "Well, would you like me to leave then?" he teased.

"No! No, I'm just surprised is all! I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too," he said pulling back to kiss me. I kissed him back eagerly, missing everything about him.

It was so hard when he wasn't here. I'd only been out to him one since the beginning of the semester and it was only for a couple of days. We talked all the time but even that was hard with all the work we had.

We'd spent a blissful weekend together and I never wanted it to end. It had to though, it always had to end. That's why on that Sunday morning I had an eerie feeling. Almost a calm before the storm type of feeling.

"Bella," he said a few minutes before he had to leave. "We should probably talk."

This was it. This was the talk. The one I had been dreading all weekend but knew it has been coming. The sad part was, I'd felt it too. I knew how hard it was for us to stay together and what a strain it was putting on both of us. It was just too hard.

I gave him a weak smile. "I know, I've kind of been fearing this all weekend."

"So have I," he agreed. "It's just," he continued, searching for the right words, "I don't even know what to say. We were so indestructible, us against the world."

I let out a small laugh. "But then we had to face the real world, not the world we lived in, all nice and securely tucked behind the gates of Rigby Academy. "

He let out a small chuckle too, seeing as I was right. "I really don't want to end this, Bella, you know how much I love you. But things lately…"

"Edward, I know. It's just too hard. We thought we could do it, prove everyone wrong that long distance relationships really can work." I sighed before continuing. "I guess this is good-bye then."

I rolled my lips under and sucked in a breath, not realizing how hard this truly was. He was the love of my life, the only man I could ever love. I felt that ache in my chest that I had felt the last time I lost Edward, when my dad had forbade us from being together. It was really as if part of me was being ripped out.

"Yeah," he said in a shaky breath, his voice cracking at the end. "I guess this is really it." Outside we heard a horn beep and after peeking out the window we saw it was the taxi that would be taking him away. Away from me.

I gulped and glanced around the room, not really sure where to go from here."

Before I could make it anymore awkward I was in his arms. "I love you, Bella," he whispered in my ear.

"I love you, Edward," I whispered back.

All to soon he released me and walked out to his cab. I watched him the whole way out of the window. Before stepping in the yellow car he turned around and faced me. He gave me a forced smile a mouthed 'I love you' once more before sliding into the seat.

The cab pulled away from the curb and I could feel my heart being taken away with it. But no matter how much I hurt, it continued on down the road until I couldn't see it anymore.

As soon as it was out of sight I broke down and cried. And cried. And cried. And cried.

. . .

I was reminded of that every day I woke up and looked in the mirror. Every time I would see the sapphire ring Edward had once given me on a chain around my neck and the memories of the horrible day would come rushing back to me. Ever since that day I'd never taken the ring on a necklace off.

Now, even 5 years later, he still meant so much to me. Sure I'd dated throughout college, but nothing ever was quite like what Edward and I had had.

I groaned at the early hour that my alarm clock flashed mockingly at me. I dragged myself away from my mirror and into the bathroom to take a shower. My bathroom was tiny, but fit in well with my equally tiny apartment. I couldn't be angry though, I had gotten it for a great price and it really felt like home to me.

When you first walked into apartment 207 it was one medium sized empty room that was split into a kitchen and living room.

The kitchen had standard wooden cabinets and a light cream-colored tiled floor. There was an island in the middle, which I cooked on most of the time. The countertops ran in an L-shape along the wall with more cabinets overhead. The stove and sink lay within the countertop and ended with the refrigerator.

Where the kitchen tile ended stopped the wood floor of he living room started. A love seat was placed in the middle of the floor facing a TV that hung on the wall. A glass coffee table stood atop a blue throw rug and two armchairs stood opposite and facing each other on each end of the couch.

Down the hall was my room. I had a simple full-sized bed with a deep red comforter that was extremely soft. A 6-drawer wooden dresser with a mirror on top sat across from my bed and closet was next the dresser. On the left wall were the windows that looked out onto the street and on the right was the door that lead to my only bathroom.

Charlie was kind enough to buy me all of my furniture for my apartment because, and I quote, he was 'so proud of his little girl for getting a journalism job in a big city like New York.' I could tell it was hard for him to have me so far away from home though, so I made sure to call him as much as I could.

I stepped out of the warm shower and quickly wrapped a towel around myself before I dripped all over the place. I quickly ran a towel through my hair and went to pick out clothes to wear to work that day. I lay them on my bed after ironing them and went to brush my teeth and blow-dry my hair.

I'd cut my hair through about the middle of college. It was about shoulder length now and cut into choppy layers. I kept my bags, however, cause I felt that I looked awkward without them. After my hair was finished I flipped my head over and ran my fingers through it, messing it up a bit. I always felt much better when I wasn't perfectly styled.

I quickly applied some black eyeliner and mascara and a light gloss to my lips and headed back into the bedroom to get dressed. I simply pulled on dark wash skinny jeans, a crisp white t-shirt and a tight fitting black vest over it. I added a turquoise scarf and some very low black heals and I was good to go.

Something I love about my job, you could dress down on Fridays and it never mattered. You could honestly dress down everyday and our boss wouldn't care, but we didn't out of respect for him and the amazing company he created. Ryan was actually a great guy and became a very close friend over the past month.

I worked for a small but also well-known music magazine, called _Lyric_, as a journalist. I absolutely adored my job to no end. It was basically me wrapped into a magazine. Writing and music were basically the only things I cared about.

I strolled out of the apartment grabbing my black bag and ignoring a jacket in the sweltering July heat. Summer in the city is never all that fun. It feels as if you are being cramped into tiny places in the busy streets and you could practically feel other peoples sweat on your body.

I began my short walk to the office and decided that I had time to stop for a quick ice coffee. I was desperately in need of a pick-me-up and caffeine was definitely the answer.

I came upon my favorite coffee place and ducked inside into the cool air conditioning and out of the sweltering heat. I immediately went to the counter thanks to the zero people in line.

Randy didn't even need me to say what I wanted. He was so used to me by now that he knew my order to the exact amount of sugar and milk I liked. He handed me the coffee and I took a sip. Perfect. I immediately felt woken up even after one sip. Bless this man.

I turned around and leaned against the counter, looking out at the few other occupied tables. Some people I had seen before and then others who were complete strangers to me. My eyes drifted to the back table in the corner of the restaurant and I recognized the very familiar blonde hair of one girl and spiky jet black of the other.

"Alice? Rose?" I called across the coffee shop. What the hell?

I hadn't really talked to my any of my friends from back at Rigby since the end of freshman year of college. We'd all just lost touch with each other, and thinking about it always made me really sad. Those people were my family and we'd all just gotten lost.

Their heads whipped around at the sound of their names and confused expressions were plastered on both of their faces. Once they spotted me, immediately their eyes lit up and grew huge. Even bigger were their smiles.

"Bella!" they shrieked in unison.

I ran across the coffee shop and maneuvered my way around the tables and fell into their arms. We all squealed and hugged. It was as if no time had gone between graduation day so many years ago and now. I hadn't felt this happy in years.

"Oh my god! What are you guys doing here?" I asked intrigued.

"Well after college, we all moved here. I'm living with Jasper in an apartment a few blocks away and so is Rose with Emmett. Even Edward's here," Alice answered for me. "What about you?"

All six of us had spread out across the US when we headed off for college, but remarkably Alice and Jasper's and Emmett and Rosalie's love for each other went unaltered and they were apparently still together.

"Well, after graduation in May I'd heard about this music magazine that was based out of New York and I emailed the boss and called him trying and trying to get the job and then finally he gave it to me. So right after I moved out here and now I'm a journalist there."

"A music magazine," Rose commented. "That's so…_you_." I chuckled at her.

"So what do you guys do? What about everyone else? Tell me _everything_!" I'd really missed my best friends.

Alice was working at a fashion line for some famous designer and trying really hard to get some of her designs noticed by her boss. Rosalie was trying the whole modeling thing, no surprise there. Emmett and Jasper both did something in banking, which I could never see Emmett doing, but he had always been good in math. And Edward, ah Edward, his name made my heart swell every time it rolled off of someone's lips. He had majored in marketing and was working at some big firm apparently making very decent money for such a young guy.

I glanced at my watch and realized that I was so caught up in reconnecting with my friends that I was already late for work. "Shit," I swore under my breath. "Gimme a sec guys, I have to call my boss, I'm late." I whipped out my cell and dialed Ryan's number.

"You're late," answered the amused voice of Ryan after a few rings.

"Yes, yes I know, sorry. But would you believe me if I said I was just being the best employee ever and picking up my lovely boss coffee and the line was just excruciatingly long?" I said with heavy sarcasm.

"Not for a second, but if you get here within the next half hour with the coffee then I really won't care."

"Yes sir," I mocked and shut the phone.

"So I have a half hour to get to work," I said, giving them an apologetic smile.

"Well stay for a few more minutes, Bella," Alice pleaded.

"Alright, alright. Hey Randy," I called to him while he was behind the counter. "Can you get me a large coffee with milk and two sugars? It's for my boss."

"No prob," he yelled back.

"So, Bella, tell us. Who was that on the phone?" She gave me that look like she knew I was hiding something. Even when I wasn't that look made question whether or not I really _was_ hiding something.

I laughed her off though, I mean really, it was my boss. "Just my boss," I told them. They both eyed my suspiciously. "What?" I asked confused.

"Oh you were so flirting with him," added Alice.

"You guys are crazy," I said with a laugh. "Ryan's just a really awesome boss, that's all."

"Uh huh, sure he is. Just a boss, whatever you say missy."

I checked my watch again and groaned. "Sorry guys I really have to go, but we _have _to meet up again. I really missed you guys."

"Actually," Rose added, "we're all going out to dinner later at La Vienna at 7:00. Come along, please?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll be there." After exchanging our new numbers and giving each of them a quick kiss on the cheek I headed out back into the heat and down the street towards my office.

It was really good to have my friends back again.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**

**So the response to the last chapter has been RIDICULOUS!!!! I was absolutely blown away by all your praise for the story and how much all of you liked it. I really love you all!!**

**And I'd like to explain why it was so necessary for Bella and Edward to break up in college. I know a lot of you were upset about that, but really it's extremely difficult to maintain a long distance relationship, even when you have a love as strong as Edward and Bella's. Also, it just makes for more drama and a better story (hehe).**

**So I have a funny story to share with all of you wonderful readers...ok, well _I_ thought it was funny. Someone (*cough* Twilight-Loverr *cough*) started reading Frozen Night and on chapters 4 and 5 started commenting on how much of a slut Bella was and that she wasn't reading my story anymore. My reaction? Peeing my pants laughing. I mean, come on, honestly what is she 5? Just cause Bella hooks up with the guy she likes, she's automatically is a slut. Someone's a bit immature. So anyway, it gave me a good laugh and I thought I'd share it with you!**

* * *

I scrambled through the doors of my office and once again out of the heat and into the air conditioning. I had Ryan's coffee in my hand and had to make sure that I didn't spill it.

"Well, well, well, look who we have here. Late and the boss doesn't even care. And what's this? A coffee? I sure as hell know that isn't for me," said one of my good friends from work, Callie. She was just as insistent that Ryan liked me as Alice and Rosalie were.

"Oh, shut up you. I was running late and I bribed him with coffee," I replied, rolling my eyes.

"Yeah, I'm sure that's all you bribed him with." I felt my cheeks begin to turn red as I scurried off into Ryan's office to give him his coffee.

"So what's the excuse today?" he joked as he stood up from his desk to take the drink from my hand.

"I told you, I was being the best employee ever but the line was just so damn long that it took me an extra," I paused to glance at my watch, "45 minutes to get to work."

"Uh huh, so what's the real story?" he said taking a sip.

"I sorta bumped into these old friends from high school and we sat and caught up for a little," I said recalling the extremely strange coincidence.

"And so they were the annoying girls from high school that thought you actually liked them when you really didn't and then made you tell them all about your current life when all you wanted to do was get the hell out of there?"

"Actually, no, not at all. They were my best friends in high school. We were pretty much sisters," I corrected him.

He gave me a confused look. "Then how come this is the first time you're meeting up with them?" This was definitely crossing the line between boss and employer.

"It's a long story. What's my assignment for today?" I said quickly changing topics. Maybe Alice, Rosalie, and Callie were right. He pulled out a blue manila folder that was filled with a few crisp, white sheets of paper and I left without another word.

Usually my workday flew by in a second because I became so engrossed in my work that I'd work nonstop. Today, however, since I actually was looking forward to going out after work, it seemed to drag on forever.

Finally the clock struck 6 and I hauled ass out of there, not bothering to talk with Callie or Ryan before I left for the weekend. I sped home, weaving my way through the other people on the street who were also eager to get home.

When I got into my apartment I only had about 20 minutes to change since I had to leave my apartment about 20 minutes early to hail a taxi over to the restaurant.

I forwent showering again and just decided to fix up my hair a bit. I reapplied makeup and made it more formal and appropriate for going out. I applied some darker eye shadow, making my eyes pop and seem a little less boring than they really were.

I decided on wearing a brown sundress. It was sleeveless, but the straps where thick and covered most of my shoulder. It came into a low V-neck in the front and I even considered wearing a shirt underneath, but I knew Alice wouldn't approve. She would approve, however, of my gold strappy sandals that had a heel to them. I'd become slightly more coordinated in the walking department, but still couldn't manage any shoe that had over a 1½-inch heel.

Alice and Rosalie would actually be very proud of me. When I didn't have them in college to pick out my every outfit I had to manage on my own. Instead of going back to my old, boring wardrobe I had actually listened to them and used some of their amazing fashion knowledge that had rubbed off on me over they years. I'd mixed their style with mine and created a completely new, yet tasteful, wardrobe and style for myself.

I raced down the stairs and hailed a taxi as fast as I could. It was still light out, but the sun was lower in the sky and thankfully it wasn't as hot. All around the city there were people heading out for a Friday night out. People where in line for shows, restaurants, clubs, you name it.

The cab driver tried to make small talk with me, but I was too lost in my own thoughts to really hold out a conversation. I was going to see Edward again. Tonight. For the first time since our break up. To say there were butterflies in my stomach was the understatement of the year. How was he going to react to me? Would he be excited? Annoyed? Did Alice and Rosalie tell him about me?

A million thoughts were rushing through my head as we finally pulled up to the restaurant. There was a line forming outside to get in and I texted Alice asking her where they were.

She replied about a minute later and said that they had reservations and were already inside. Well, at least I wouldn't have to stand outside any longer. As soon as I stepped inside the building my nerves intensified. He could be here. Right now. Only a few more seconds away and I could be seeing him for the first time in 5 years. I think I might pee my pants.

I searched around the crowded restaurant that was filled with crazy amounts of people and waiters and waitresses bustling around trying to serve them but I still didn't see them.

Then out of the corner of my eye I saw the biggest guy I think I'd ever seen. Emmett. I practically ran over to the table in excitement. I had really, really missed my friends over the last couple of years. Seeing them brought a wave of emotion over me and I couldn't contain myself.

"Emmett! Jasper!" I called out to them when I was a few tables away. They immediately stood up and met me half way, colliding into one big bear hug.

I realized that we were probably making a scene, so I ushered us over to our table where we continued our joyous reunion. I've never been so excited in my life. I couldn't believe that I was really here with all of my best friends again.

Well, not all. Edward still wasn't here yet and I noticed that there were two empty chairs at the table. My excitement immediately turned back into nerves and I felt like my stomach was doing flips.

It would be ok though, at least that's what I told myself. "Does Edward know I'm here?" I asked Alice and Rosalie.

"Nope!" replied Alice with a secretive grin on her face.

"Ok, what's that look for, missy?" We've been reunited less than 10 hours and yet here she is, already plotting something.

"Well, it's just that Edward's going to die when he sees you. It'll be so much more fun this way!" replied Rosalie excitedly.

"So he'll be happy right? He won't, like, hate me or anything?" I asked uncomfortably. I really wasn't sure how he'd react.

"Are you kidding?" responded Emmett in a loud, thunderous voice.

"He's going to flip a shit, Bella. He's never gotten over you. It'll probably be the happiest moment of his life. I'll actually be surprised if we don't give him a heart attack," added Jasper.

I breathed in deep and gave out a smile. He missed me. He's apparently never gotten over me. He'll be happy to see me. I could do this. I can see him again.

After a few more minutes of catching up and chatting I saw the familiar bronze haired man enter through the double doors of the restaurant. My heart stopped in my chest, and then picked up double time.

He was towing a beautiful strawberry-blonde behind him and I instantly didn't like the girl. I didn't know her, but just something about her made me angry. The way they were holding hands and the way she looked at him, it was all too…intimate. Let's face it, I was jealous. Jealous barely even covered it.

Edward and the girl approached the table and a confused expression crossed both of their faces when they saw me just like Alice's and Rosalie's faces this morning. I guess I looked different.

Suddenly it dawned on Edward who I was and he immediately dropped the girl's hand and yelled, "Bella! Oh my god I can't believe it's you!"

I stood up in my chair, forcefully pushing it back so it scrapped noisily against the ground and ran up to hug him. I flung myself into his arms and instantly felt that same electricity flow through my body that was present every time we touched. He squeezed me tight, feeling it too. I squeezed back, wanting this moment to last for a very, very long time.

"I can't believe you're here!" he said pulling back, but still grasping my shoulders. "What are you going here? Why didn't you guys tell me?" he asked, shooting Alice and Rosalie harmless glares.

"They thought it'd be more fun this way," I said rolling my eyes. "But I live here now! I got a job here after I graduated in May and then I bumped into Alice and Rosalie at a coffee shop this morning and I couldn't believe it. What are the chances that we're _all_ living in the same place again?"

"You live here?!" The excitement he was feeling was clearly evident on his face, and I'm sure I looked pretty similar. "I can't believe this! Oh my god!" he said, pulling me in for a hug once more.

I heard someone clear there throat from behind him and he immediately stiffened. "Oh right," he mumbled pulling back from out embrace. "This is, uh, Tanya," he motioned to the strawberry-blonde girl behind him.

"I'm his girlfriend," she said sticking her hand out around him to shake my hand.

I allowed myself one moment of jealousy. One moment for the hurt to seep through my skin and into my veins and spread around my body. One moment, and that was all. I couldn't honestly expect that Edward didn't have a girlfriend. I actually had tried to prepare myself for that, but the pain I imagined I'd feel was nearly as close to what it was now.

After my one moment I plastered a fake smile on my face and gripped her hand. I shook it firm and steady and replied, "Nice to meet you, I'm Bella. I'm an old, uh, friend from high school." I decided to not make this girl hate me from the beginning. We didn't have to go into detail about her current boyfriend and the love of my life's previous relationship. Ex-girlfriends automatically meant bad things in a girl's book, so I steered clear.

The three of us took our seats, mine across from Edward and in between Jasper and Emmett while he sat next to Tanya and Rosalie. Alice was placed awkwardly at the head of the table between Rosalie and Jasper. Another reason why I didn't like this girl, she threw off the perfect balance of our group.

"I can't get over it, Bella, you look…amazing," said Edward as he picked up his menu and began glancing at it. He only looked away for a moment though and then immediately his eyes would be back on me. It was as if I'd disappear in a second and he had to keep on checking to make sure I was real. To be honest that's exactly how I felt too. This was too good to be true. All my friends couldn't really be back here with me. But the truth was, this really was happening. And it was perfect.

"So do you," I said, blushing. He was still as gorgeous as ever and his piercing green eyes still shone brightly in the dimmed lights of the restaurant.

I saw him staring at the ring he'd given me so many years ago on the necklace around my neck. A huge smile broke out across his face and he seemed truly happy that I still had it on. The thought hadn't even crossed my mind to take it off. It was just so natural for me to wear it now that I'd feel lost without it.

"Tell me everything about you! What'd you do?" he asked eagerly.

"Well, I basically have my dream job. I work for _Lyric_ magazine as a journalist. It's a music magazine and pretty much the best job ever."

"Your two passions," he cut me off, eyes smoldering into mine. We stayed in that position, staring into each other's eyes for what seemed like forever. He really knew so much about me. He knew everything. He remembered that my two loves, besides for him, were music and writing. They both served as a release for me, and he knew that.

Someone cleared their throat awkwardly and we broke away from each others gaze. He looked back down at his menu and I stared at the now fascinating table, a blush creeping into my cheeks as I bit my lip, trying to hide a smile.

"Am I missing something?" asked Tanya. Yeah, the fact that I'm still completely in love with your boyfriend.

"Oh get used to that, they do it all the time," Alice answered with a pleased smile on her face.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" I asked confused.

"Well you two just get lost in your own little world when you're around each other. We're all used to it but now, but it is kind of strange when you aren't used to it," added Jasper.

"Again, am I missing something?" Tanya asked again, still clearly unaware of the situation around her.

"Edward and Bella used to date in high school," Emmett blurted out. I shot him a 'you're got to be kidding me, you really just said that?!' look and he grinned back devishly at me.

"Yeah, they were like _the_ hottest couple on campus," Rose chimed in. I now shot her a look. All four of them stared back at me with the same amused and pleased expressions. These people were up to something.

"Right, so tell me more about your job, Bella," Edward said, changing the subject.

Bless that beautiful man. "You know all those bands we used to obsess over back in high school?"

Emmett snorted. "Please, Edward's still obsessed."

Edward rolled his eyes at Emmett and smiled, nodding for me to continue. "Well I've actually interviewed a lot of them."

His mouth fell open in astonishment. "What?! Are you kidding me? You've _met_ them? That's insane!"

I smiled, proud that I could still impress him so easily. "Mhmm. I interview bands all the time for articles and then I'm a loser and ask for their autographs. The best is when they give me free concert tickets. You can't imagine all the amazing shows I've been to lately."

"You're kidding? I'm so jealous! You have _my_ dream job!" he exclaimed.

I laughed, his excitement was contagious. "I don't think so, Cullen. I do believe that you were pretty sucky when it came to English and I did help you with a lot of your papers…" I said with a sly smile.

Everyone started laughing with me, including Edward himself. Well, except for Tanya. Our conversation was like one big inside joke of our past lives and she had no idea what we were talking about. I almost felt bad for the girl. Almost.

"I'll tell you what, next concert I get tickets to, you can come with me," I said as our laughter died down.

"Hell yes you are!"

I laughed at his enthusiasm. That was something we always shared, our passion for music. "So tell me, what's been up with you in the last 5 years? What are you doing now?"

"I work for some marketing company, make decent money. It's not the most fun job in the world, but I seem to enjoy it," he responded truthfully.

"Well you were always kind of a loser," I joked. He let out a chuckle, as did everyone else at the table.

I felt like Edward and I had been monopolizing the conversation so I turned my attention to the sickingly beautiful strawberry-blonde and asked her what she did for a living in an attempt to be nice.

"Oh, she's in the modeling business with me," replied Rosalie before Tanya even had a chance to answer. Big surprise there. A girl who could possibly even rival Rosalie's beauty was sure to be a model. And of course Edward would be with a girl like her. They were on the same level as each other, as Edward and I never where.

I felt my chest tighten and sadness took over me. I realized that I'd been so nervous before not because I thought Edward wouldn't be happy to see me, but because I was coming in here with false hope. I'd had this vision in my head of Edward and I immediately reconnecting, being together like old times. It hit me then and there that that would never happen. He had Tanya now. He didn't want me anymore. All we could be was just friends, and that was better than nothing for me.

"That's awesome," I said, forcing a smile that turned out more as a grimace. I fell silent after that, still lost in my thoughts and the hurt inside of me.

"You alright?" Edward asked, reaching across the table to grab my hand.

I immediately retracted it from his grasp, ignoring the sparks again, and excused myself to head off to the bathroom. I leaned against the porcelain sink and fought the urge to splash cold water over my face, I knew it would ruin my makeup. I drew in a deep breath and stared at myself in the mirror.

"You can do this, Bella. You can be just friends. Having him in your life in some way is better than not having him in your life at all," I muttered to myself. Thank goodness for the private bathroom otherwise people would be giving me strange looks. I took in one more deep breath and left the bathroom, now convinced that I could do this and be happy for him.

I returned to the table with a smile on my face, assuring everyone that I was fine.

"So, Bella, we're thinking of hitting a club after this. You interested?" asked Emmett.

"Definitely," I replied.

**So what'd you think?**

**Another important thing I should let you know...I wasn't going to tell you this until later but the story is based off the song I _Blinded_ by Third Eye Blind. Check it out, it's amazing!!**

**Review please!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**

**Thanks or all the support guys!! It's been awesome!!!**

**So this is going to my last update for about a week to 2 weeks cause I have a tournament this weekend and then I'm going on vacation and I won't have access to the internet. Sorry!**

* * *

We quickly got into the club and it was already packed. There were bars along both sidewalls and the entire middle was a dance floor. There were stairs that led to an upper level, which wrapped around the perimeter of the entire club. Tables and booths were set up there for people to take a break from dancing.

Alice yelled over the techno music for us to go upstairs and find a booth, and we all followed. I maneuvered my way through the packed bodies and finally made it to the spiral stairs. We found an empty booth on the second level, sat down, and ordered drinks.

We continued to keep with our conversation over the loud music. The more Tanya drank, the more touchy feely she became with Edward. She would place her hand on his shoulder and whisper into his ear or throw herself across his body when she was laughing.

I could tell that part of him even liked it. He was a man after all, and a hot girl practically throwing herself at him was definitely an idea he liked. The thought made me sick to my stomach. I felt like I was going to throw up all of the drinks I'd just drank, but after the feeling passed, I quickly ordered another one and downed it as fast as possible.

I had to get used to this. I had to be able to be 'just friends.' He was with Tanya now and he was obviously happy. I had to accept that.

Pretty soon the couples went off to dance, but not before Edward asked me if I'd like to come. I saw Tanya shoot him a death glare, which made me happy, but I still said no thanks.

I sat there by myself for a little, bopping my head to the music. I'm sure I looked pretty awkward but the slight buzz that I was beginning to feel made me unaware of that fact.

"What's a pretty girl like you doing all by herself?" came the voice of a man sitting down next to me on the couch.

"Skanky new girlfriends," I replied coolly, taking another sip of my drink. I eyed the guy sitting next to me. He had tanned skin, dark almost black hair, and light brown eyes. He was actually quite attractive. His nose was a little crooked but it gave him a quirkiness that was almost irresistible.

He smirked at me, even though he clearly had no idea what I was talking about. "Wanna dance?" he asked bluntly.

"What's your name?" I inquired back.

"Matt. You?"

"Bella. And yes, Matt, I'd love to dance." He grabbed my hand and dragged me downstairs to the middle of the dance floor. We passed Alice and Rosalie on the way who were happily dancing with their men and both gave me a 'got get 'em girl' wink. I winked back, assuring them I would. I wasn't really sure where Tanya and Edward were, but I'm pretty sure that I didn't want to know.

When we got to a decent enough spot I turned him around to face me and immediately his hands flew to my hips. I began swaying them back and forth as we danced together. He kept on trying to catch my gaze, but that felt to intimate and awkward so I threw my head back and laughed. At what? Absolutely nothing.

After a couple more songs and a little more grinding I thanked him for the dance and headed over to the bar. It was crowded, so I hopped up on a stool and waited for the bartender to make his way down to my end.

"What can I get ya?" he asked, taking a white towel and rubbing down the top of the bar. I gave him my drink order, which he quickly mixed and placed in front of me.

I stirred it around with the little straw, mixing it some more before I noticed that he was still watching me. I looked up at him through my lashes, going for the extremely flirty thing Edward always did to me in high school. No. I can't think about him. He's off somewhere with his girlfriend. Move on, Bella. And what was my plan to get over Edward exactly? Simple. Flirt with as many guys as possible.

I slowly lifted it up and took a long, dragged out sip. "Mmm, perfect," I said before giving him a wink. It was true too, the drink was perfect. He was just going to respond before someone yelled at him from the other end of the bar. He gave me a nod and a Crest-White Strip smile and headed to the other side of the bar.

After a little longer of sitting at the bar by myself, Edward came up and sat down on the bar stool next to me. "Hey," he greeted, motioning for the bartender to get him a beer.

"Hey," I nodded back. "Where's everyone else?" Hi simply shrugged his shoulders like he didn't care. I gave him a confused look. "Where's Tanya? Wasn't she with you?"

"She found one of her friends and went off with them," he said. The bartender came over with his beer and uncapped it. I shot him another sultry smile and he winked at me. I heard Edward shift uncomfortably next to me in his seat and then scoot his chair closer.

When the bartender looked away I turned back to Edward and was shocked by the closeness. He'd moved his chair right up against mine and our knees where touching. His face was only a couple of inches apart from mine and I fought the urge to lift my head up a little and meet my lips with his.

"Do you want to get out of here? Maybe go somewhere and talk?" His breath blew across my face and I was sent into a daze. I couldn't think straight. I felt my head start to nod, but I immediately pulled back.

The space between us now cleared my head and I was able to think. No, Bella, you can't. Just friends, remember? He has a girlfriend. You can't make her hate you anymore than she already does.

"I don't think that would be such a good idea," I stated simply, staring down at the bar.

"Why not?" he asked. I glanced back up at him. His eyebrows were knit together and his face was twisted up in confusion.

"I don't think Tanya would like that very much. She already doesn't seem to like me. Ex-girlfriends are always an automatic red flag for girls."

"Oh, uh, right." His face fell and my heart immediately broke.

"But hey," I said optimistically, placing my hand on his shoulder. I tried to ignore the sparks flying up my arm. "Why don't we go get coffee tomorrow and catch up then?"

His face immediately brightened up and a smile spread across it. "Yeah, definitely. I really wanna catch up with you, Bella."

"Yeah, same." A smile broke out across my face as well and I got lost in his eyes. Even though we were surrounded by drunken strangers, the moment was so intimate that I couldn't look away. We both sat there, lost in each other's gaze, not wanting to look away.

I didn't notice that we were both subconsciously leaning in towards each other until a glass broke behind the bar and we both pulled back, sucked out of the moment. I awkwardly cleared my throat and refused to look at him, my face heating up out of embarrassment. This was not supposed to be happening. I was supposed to be controlling myself. Damn it, Bella, get it together.

I heard him chuckle next to me, no doubt about that my face was bright red at the moment. "Why don't we do a round of shots? For old times sake."

I nodded my head and he summoned over the bartender. A different one came over this time, but I was ok with that. He set up 2 glasses filled with vodka.

We clinked glasses and threw our heads back, taking in the burning liquid. One round of shots turned into 5, and before I knew it, I was pretty damn drunk.

"You," I said pointing at Edward, "Are drunk." My speech was a little slurred and I almost fell out of my chair. So maybe I was really drunk.

He laughed at me, but caught my elbow before I actually fell. "I think it's you, who's drunk," he said pointing back at me.

"Amen to that!" I cheered back, drunkenly high fiving him. We started laughing about nothing at all, but I didn't even care. I had no idea what was so funny, but that's what alcohol does to you. It helps you forget for a night about everything around you. Well, that is until someone's girlfriend finds you.

"Hey, Edward, what are you two doing?" Tanya said, coming up from behind us. I automatically shifted our position. We had both been turned in our stools, facing each other. His hand was resting on my knee and mine on his shoulder. I spun around to face her, resulting in our hands being removed from each other's bodies.

"We were just doing some shots," I replied back easily.

"I believe I asked him," she bitchily said back, shooting me a glare.

"Bitch," I muttered under my breath, but still loud enough for her to hear. She shot me another look, but I simply smiled sweetly back at her. I could practically feel her skin crawling.

"Like she said, Tanya, we were just doing shots," Edward defended.

"Well," she said, stepping in between the two stools and turning so her back was facing me, "I've been looking for you all night."

"Well you're the one who went off with you _friends_," he spat back.

"Hey, Edward," I said gently shoving Tanya out of the way. "I think I'm gonna head home now, it's getting kinda late. I had a lot of fun tonight." I heard Tanya scoff in disgust next to me and an evil smile spread across my face. This girl was just too east to get to.

"Let me at least walk you home. You shouldn't be out all by yourself at this hour, not to mention you've been drinking." I could see his eyes were pleading.

"That's ok, my apartment's not far from here. But call me tomorrow morning so we can meet up for coffee." I gave him a wink and turned around, heading for the club exit. I heard Tanya yelling at Edward as I left over the loud music and I again smiled to myself. Just because I had to be 'just friends' with Edward didn't mean I couldn't make it hard for his girlfriend.

I stepped outside of the club and the air was actually cool compared to inside. It immediately awakened my senses and I became much more alert. I turned left and started to head for my apartment.

I only got about halfway down the block before I felt someone grab my arm and spin me around. The person's sharp nails dug into my skin and I could feel a mark being left. "What the hell?" I shrieked, turning around and bringing up my hand to slap the person. I realized it was Tanya, however, and, against my will, I stopped myself from slapping her.

"Oh hey, Tanya. What's up?" I asked like we were the best of friends.

"Stay away from Edward," she growled.

"I'm sorry?" I said, faking shock. "Why would I have to stay away from Edward?"

Her eyes were burning with anger. I suppressed a laugh. "Just stay away from him. He's _mine_."

Correction, he's mine. Well, was. And I still love him so too bad you stupid bitch! Ok, well that was what I _wanted _to say, but I didn't.

"My, my, am I detecting trouble in paradise? Relax, Edward and I are old friends. I'm not going to just stay away from one of my best friends because someone's jealous. Get over yourself, Tanya." With that I turned around, leaving her alone in the middle of the sidewalk and headed off back to my apartment.

* * *

**So just a quick little update. It's not my best chapter, but hopefully it can hold you over until my next update.**

**Anyone know any good stories for me to read? I prefer all human and either in or out of college stories. If you have any suggestions let me know!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**

**Sorry it's been so long! I'm super busy because my school is having the Olympics this week. (Grades compete in different things. It's too hard to explain) But I'm doing the music for one of the events so I've been really busy doing that all week. Then I have preliminaries and practices and stuff all this week too. It's on Friday (no classes!) so after that I'll be able to update. Sorry again!**

* * *

I flopped over in my bed and groaned from the pounding in my head. How did I get home last night? Hang-overs suck. Period.

The clock read 11:37 but I felt like I could use another 5 hours of sleep. I needed coffee badly. I slid my pone off of the bedside table and dialed Edward's number.

"Hello?" he answered after a few rings as I sat up and rubbed my head.

"Mmm, stop yelling," I complained.

He chuckled into the phone and asked, "That bad, huh?"

"I hate you. How do manage to not get hung over? We drank ridiculous amounts of alcohol last night."

"It's a gift," he said smugly. "So do you want to meet up for coffee? It sounds like you could use some."

"Definitely. Do you now where The Grind is? It's on 8th."

"Yeah, I know where it is," he replied.

"Alright let's meet there in say," I glanced at my alarm clock one more time, calculating how much time it would take me to get ready, "40 minutes?"

"Sounds good, I'll see ya then."

"K, bye," I said hanging up. I lugged myself out of bed, making sure I stood up slowly enough as to not make my headache worse. I headed into the shower and let the warm water relax my muscles.

35 minutes later and I was ready to go. I grabbed a pair of sunglasses to cover my puffy eyes and headed out the door.

The walk to the coffee shop was quick, but the heat didn't help how I was feeling. As soon as I stepped into the shop I asked Randy to make me a large coffee, extra strong.

I looked around the different tables, but Edward wasn't here yet so I sat down at a table on the left hand side of the shop and towards the back.

I sat down and took a huge gulp of coffee, feeling my headache lift slightly. I could still feeling it pounding though. I looked at my phone before taking another sip and the clock read 12:34, which meant he was late.

Another 5 minutes later and he still wasn't there. I debated calling him or not, but decided against it. He would call if he wasn't coming.

A few minutes later I saw him through the front windows of the coffee shop. Tanya was standing with him. He didn't honestly bring her, did he? They stopped and faced each other at the entrance and he bent down to give her a quick, yet meaningful kiss, and then she walked away.

I felt my heart tighten and a lump get stuck in my throat. Tears stung my eyes and I gripped the table as hard as possible.

_Get used to it_, I told myself. _They're together now, not you._ I exhaled deeply, not realizing I'd been holding my breath. I blinked back the tears as best as I could before he walked over.

"H-hey," I managed out as he approached the table.

He cocked his head to the side and his eyes narrowed a bit, thinking. "You ok?" he asked, sitting down. Why was I so damn easy to read?

"Yeah, fine," I said with more strength in my voice this time.

"You sure?" he asked, still not completely convinced.

"Yeah, positive."

"Ok," he said nodding his head. "So, I can't believe that you're actually here. That we're all together again. It's crazy."

"I know! I keep on thinking that my alarm is going to go off an second and I'm going to wake up and it'll all be a dream."

We launched into an easy conversation from there. Talking about the past, present, future. Everything.

"So what about you, huh? Any girls for you over the past 5 years?" I teased, nudging him with my elbow.

He laughed. "My first two years of college I partied a lot, different girls here and there."

"So you were a whore?" I teased again, cutting him off.

"Yes, that was me," he joked back. "Then for the next two years after I did the whole partying thing I had two serious relationships, but they just weren't the real thing. Nothing like we had, you know? And now I have Tanya."

I smiled as he told his story, but it faltered at the end when he mentioned Tanya. "Yeah, she uh, seems great."

"She is, I like her a lot."

"Do you love her?" I questioned. I hadn't even realized it came out of my mouth. "Sorry, I didn't-I didn't mean to say that," I stuttered, trying to take back what I said.

He chuckled at me. "No it's ok. I'm not sure yet, actually. We haven't been together that long, but there's something there. Maybe it could turn into love, I'm just not sure yet, it's too soon."

"Right," I said nodding my head in understanding. It made sense. And he wasn't in love with her, so maybe there was still hope.

"So what about you? Any love interests?" I could almost detect a hint of anger on his face when asking me.

"Throughout college I had a couple flings that lasted a few months, but nothing ever serious. And now, although Alice and Rose insist my boss likes me, there's no one." Well except for maybe you who I'm still completely and totally in love with, but that's a different story.

"I can't believe you still wear this thing," he said reaching up to touch the ring. His fingers grazed my collar bone and left a burning trail behind.

I blushed and looked down. "I just sorta always wore it after we broke up to remember and, I don't know, it just feels weird not having it on, almost as if I'm lost without it. I can take it off if you want though, I mean with Tanya and everything."

"No!" he said immediately. "I mean, I love that you still wear it. It's like what we had means as much to you as it does to me."

"It's means everything to me, Edward." We both reached out on the table and grabbed each other's hands. It made me remember how well they fit together.

I heard him exhale loudly next to me, clearly silently debating something with himself. It hit me then, like a ton of bricks. This was hard on him too. He still loved me, but he also owed it to Tanya, who he liked a lot too. I couldn't put him through this.

I slowly pulled my hands away from his. "We have to be just friends," I whispered. "It's not fair to Tanya."

"I know," he said back. "Just friends." It seemed as if he was trying to convince himself as much as I was.

After a few moments in silence I suddenly remembered I had to ask him something. "So, _friend_, I have a question. How the hell did I get home last night?"

He threw his head back in laughter. Awkwardness gone. "You really don't remember?" I shook my head. "Well after we did a few rounds of shots, Tanya came over and started being a bitch. Sorry about that, by the way. And then you said you were leaving and I tried to walk you home but you wouldn't have it."

And then I remembered Tanya stopping me outside of the club and me being a bitch to her. Crap!

"Shit, shit, shit!" I swore under my breath.

Edward gave me a confused look. "What?"

"Next time you see Tanya can you give her my number and tell her to call me? I think we got off on the wrong foot last night and now she hates me. I just want to apologize."

The confused expression was still cast on his face. "Why would she hate you?"

"Well…" I started. "I mean, being your ex-girlfriend she already sort of made her not like me, but then…"

'Then what?" he pressed.

"Well after I left the club she caught up with me on my way home and told me to stay away from you. And then I might of told her to stop being jealous and get over herself." I winced in preparation for Edward's reaction.

But it never came. He still just looked confused. "Why would she tell you that?"

A look of shock crossed my face and I straightened up out of my position. "So you're not mad that I was such a bitch to her?"

"No, I don't think you were being a bitch at all. I think she was. I've known you much longer than I've known her. She's gonna have to accept that we're friends, Bella. I don't want you out of my life just because of her."

A huge smile spread across my face. "I don't want her to come between us either. I mean, I finally have you guys back in my life, I don't want to lose you again."

"You won't," he said shaking his head. "Don't listen to her. And if you really feel the need to apologize, come to Tanya's tonight. She's throwing a dinner party and we'll all be there."

"How New York of her," I joked. "But I don't think she'd like that very much."

"I don't care, I want you to come. So you're coming," he said pulling out a pen and writing her address on a napkin. "Be there at 7."

So later that night, dressed in a white sun dress with dark blue straps and blue and red patterns on it, I headed over to Tanya's.

I cautiously knocked on the door of apartment 323 and I heard laughter coming form inside. After a few moments of awkwardly standing there, bouncing on my heels, the door opened. Of course it was Tanya who opened it.

"Come in," she said in an uninterested tone, stepping aside to let me pass.

I awkwardly scooted by her and into the apartment. It was definitely bigger than mine. The door led into a big open room that was split into a living room and dining room. If you turned right there was hallway, which lead to the bedrooms and bathrooms, I presumed. Through the dining room and to the right was the kitchen. It was secluded from the rest of the apartment.

I stepped inside and found everyone sitting on couches or on the floor around the coffee table, which was crowded with different finger foods on platters. Rosalie jumped up first to greet me.

"This is awkward," I whispered into her ear as she hugged me. She nodded in understanding. I greeted everyone else and joined them in the conversation. I noticed Tanya retreat into the kitchen, away from everyone else.

After a little while I ventured in there, figuring I might as well get this over with. "Hey," I greeted, stepping into the tiny kitchen.

"Hi," she said flatly.

"Do you need any help with anything?" I offered.

"Thanks, I got it though. You can just go back with everyone else," she dismissed me.

"Uh, you have a really great apartment," I said awkwardly.

"Thanks."

"Look," I said, sighing in defeat. "I just wanted to apologize. I know I was a bitch last night, and it was totally wrong. I don't want you to think anything is going on or is going to happen between Edward and I." Despite how much I want it to. "Yes, we have a history, but that's all. We're just friends now."

It hurt to say that. It hurt a lot. I wasn't only trying to convince Tanya, but myself too. We had a past. But that was the past. We agreed today, just friends. That was all we could be. And I was ok with that. I had to be.

I saw a smile play at her lips as she mumbled another thanks. "I'm sorry for being a bitch too. I know I wasn't the nicest person to you last night either. I just saw you and the way he looks at you and I got extremely jealous. And then finding out that you guys have a past, it was just really hard for me. He just means so much to me, I don't want to lose him."

Ouch, way to twist the knife. Now I feel even worse because I know that in the end someone's going to get hurt. Tanya obviously cares for him, as do I. In the end one of us will end up broken hearted, and it will probably be me.

I gave her a tentative smile, trying to cover up my hurt. "So…we can be friends?"

She smiled warmly back at me. "Sure, friends."

I'd gained two more friends in one day. Well isn't that just fucking great.

* * *

**Sorry it's so short!**


End file.
